Improvement in divided axles for railway cars



S. S. HICKOK.

Improvement in Divided Axles for Railway-Cars.

No. 130,047. Patented Ju| y30,1872

Samuel S. zZ'l-ak. WiY/zeqes. 5y 1% m y.

SAMUEL S. HICKOK, OF METHUEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

imam/twister IN DIVIDED AXLES FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 130,047, dated July 30, 1872.

Specification describing certain Improvements in Divided Axles for Railway Cars, in-

vented by SAIVIUEL S. Hrcxox, of Methuen, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

This invention relates to divided car-axles, so called, or those in which one-half the axle and its wheel revolves independently of the other, in order, in following a curve in the track, that one wheel may lag, and thereby prevent slipping upon the rail of the Wheel nearest the center of the circle described by the track. I I

The drawing accompanying this specification represents in Figure 1 aside. elevation,

and in Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of a divided car-axle constructed in accordance with.

are passed in order to confine the caps B B securely together, and prevent an endwise separation or play of the same, or of the axles confined within them. The bore of the cap B is straight throughout, and substantially'of uniform diameter, the latter being of such size as to easily receive the axle, and allow it to rotate freely therein. The bore of the oppo-. site cap B is of irregular diameterthat is to say, it is formed with a short portion, 0, to tightly receive the axle, and with an enlarged portion or chamber, (1, to receive both the heads a a, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing; the object of thus inserting the heads of both axles within one cap being to obtain great longitudinal rigidity and strength, which would'not result were each head received in its own cap, as in this case the bolts of the flanges b b must be depended upon entirely.

The important features to be secured in divided car-axles are, first, to obtain great longitudinal stiffness and strength; and, second, to prevent any possibility of endwise movement or play of the two, in order to sleeve the housings and boxes of the car from the great thrusts and injury which would otherwise result to them. By my method of breaking joints--that is, to insert a portion of one axle within the cap of the opposite axleIobtain, in a very simple, effective, and inexpensivemanner, the requisite longitudinal strength, and the power of resisting endwise separation of the axles.

I am aware that various inventions exist relating to divided car-axles; but in all prior to mine of which I have any knowledge the abutting ends of both axles and sleevesprovided sleeves are employedcoincide, thus throwing the entire strain and labor upon the bolts and flanges of such sleeves, which, while possessing sufficient strength to resist the endwise strain or liability to separation of the semi-axles, are inadequate to resist the longitudinal strain and thrusts upon the latter. By my method of breaking jointsthat is, to insert a portion of one half of the axle within the cap of the other-I obtain, in a very simple, inexpensive, and efi'ective manner, the requisite longitudinal strength and stiffness, and the power of resisting endwise separation of the two portions of the axle.

One of the semi-axles, A or A, before described and its head must rotate loosely within the cap or caps which receive it, and I prefer, for several reasons, that itshould be the latter, A. I

a in the drawing represents an orifice, through which lubricating material may be introduced to the interior of the caps and about the axle, and this orifice is to be tapped out to form a female screw, into which a cork, b, is screwed. The lightness of the cork constitutes a means of enabling it to retain its place and preventing dislodgment by the jar and concussions of the car.

The inner face of each nut, c, which is screwed upon the bolts which confine the two caps in place, is made concave, and a washer of rubber or leather or other soft or elastic substance is introduced between the two, with or without an interposed metallic ring, the purpose of the washer being to pre vent loosening of the nut' by the jar of the car; and the concavity of the nut being to maintain the original form of the washer, and largement or head of one of the parts of the prevent crushing and misplacement of it.

Claim.

A car-axle divided transversely into two parts, whose enlarged or headed contiguous ends are combined with sleeves or tubular caps, one applied to each of said headed ends, and united togetherin the manner described, so that the enaxle shall enter and be held in the sleeve or cap that contains the head of the opposite half of the axle, for the purpose stated.

SAMUEL S. HIOKOK.

Witnesses F. CURTIS,

E. BOARDMAN. 

